TWS CEO Letter: Copyright Law
Internet copyright violation is not a new term, but a term we may have only rarely encountered in the past. With the increased use of recognition software or copyright bots (that scan the internet for images, text, and other media) internet copyright violations are a very real and serious issue that can result in a financial burden.
I wanted to share a letter the board received from the TWS CEO Ed Arnett with the membership because I am sure there are other members that help with social media, websites, etc. (whether it be a small business, another non-profit, or some other social media endeavor). Like Ed says in the letter, as a nonprofit we might assume we are exempt from copyright laws or are fine to use an image/media if we give attribution; not the case. Please be very aware of how you obtain an image, text, or other media and make sure you have received the proper permissions before using them because, as you will read in the letter, other Chapters/Sections have received letters from lawyers demanding payment.
As for NDCTWS, when we transitioned over and built the new website almost all photos used (and still used) are member provided photos. The very few that are not member provided are free stock photos licensed through Unsplash (which has partnered with our website platform). I would like to again say, “Thank You!”, to the members who provided our Chapter with images to use on the website. If, at anytime, you would no longer like the Chapter to use your images please reach out and we will remove them.
